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Topic: Loud sneezing (Read 14152 times)

My BFF has really loud sneezes. Really loud. Complete with the "achooie!" at the end. She also lives with me and has allergies, so I'm treated to this almost daily.

When in public, I've observed people near us get visibly startled when she sneezes.

She says that can't control them, but the "achooie" seems so OTT to me that I have trouble believing this. To be fair, one time when she did try and control it, she sounded like a dying whale, which made me laugh till I cried.

Should my friend be making more of an effort to control her sneezes? Do you think it's possible that she truly can't control them?

It's fully possible that she can't control them. I almost scream when I sneeze. Trust me, I'd much prefer a tiny, graceful little *achew* to my *AAAAA-CHOOOOOO!!!!* Sneezes are something that you're born with, and you can't really tell someone to re-train their nasal cavities to expel differently.

I don't think people are able to control their sneezes any more than they can control the way they talk. It is just how it is. In the 25 years I've known DH he has never, ever sneezed just once. It is always a minimum of two short sneezed but 90% of the time 3 short sneezes paced about 2 to 3 seconds apart. (It's actually irritating for him to just sneeze twice now because I wait for the 3rd and if it doesn't come I still feel like I'm in a conversational hold pattern till it does.) I on the other hand do one big sneeze and while it would be nice to have a quiet "choo" most times it is not and if I try to stiffle it, my eyes tear and it just comes out louder about 5 min later.

Ok, so maybe I'm the weirdo. I have a rather large variety of sneezes. Sometimes they're big, sometimes I sound like a duck...or a donkey. And there's always the dainty little squeaky ones. I actually can control how loud my sneeze is if I'm in public. I didn't know I was an anomaly!

And while her sneezes tend to startle me (which subsequently annoys me a bit), it's not a source of contention between us or anything. I just honestly didn't realize it wasn't common to control the volume of a sneeze.

I can control my sneezes too. In private, I just let loose because it feels good . In public places, I'm quieter. My mother can also control them. At home, she screams and scare the family, but would never do that in public.

I don't think she can control it most of the time. I don't normally sneeze really loud, but sometimes I can feel a "big one" or a series of sneezes coming on. I think it's like a person's laugh, they can control it to an extent... I knew a guy that would he-haw woop and snort like a moose in heat at epic volume when something would get him really laughing. He couldn't control it and friends would bank on that and try to get him to do it.

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"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." — Douglas Adams

I did a little research just now and read that the volume of one's sneeze correlates with how much they air they inhale pre-sneeze. This makes sense to - I think I definitely take in as little air as possible when I want to be quiet.

I agree with PPs. I have a 2-part sneeze and I'm pretty sure my tonsils or adenoids are part of it. When I try to contain it, it actually hurts! And I make that dying whale sound you referred to in your OP.

I can control my sneezes, too. Everyone in my house can, except for my mother. Her sneezes are actually rather comical. I think sneezing is something a lot of people can't control.

For some reason, my coughing also sounds like sneezes if I just do one loud cough (happens more frequently than I'd like to admit). I've resigned myself to just saying "thanks" when people say "bless you", because it's awkward when I try to explain.

It's interesting for me to read all of these comments, as in my experience, I do have quite a bit of control over my sneezes. I love the way it feels to sneeze. (Not to the extent that I'll go around snorting pepper to try and sneeze, but I don't go out of my way to not sneeze if I feel like I have to.) However, I do have a certain degree of control over the sneezes. If I'm at home alone or walking around outside, I'll just let the sneeze come as it comes. If I'm at work or around other people, I'll excuse myself if I get enough warning (I usually have at least an inhale or two of tickliness before the sneeze comes). If not, I'll try to keep quieter by keeping my teeth together.

I've also known people whose sneezes varied quite widely based on their location audience, but in the opposite direction. For instance, I've known people who sneezed fairly normally (wha-choo!) when they thought they were alone, but did the exaggerated scream-sneeze (WHA-CHOOOOOO!!!!!!!) when others were nearby.

I guess I've always thought of it like other bodily functions: coughing, burping, passing gas, hiccoughing, etc. While the impulse/function itself is usually involuntary, the afflicted person often has a bit of control over the delivery.

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